Textile Materials Containing Yarns with an Intimate Blend of Aramid Fibers and Polyphenylene Sulfide Fibers

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a woven textile having a first and second side and comprising a plurality of yarns, wherein at least a portion of the yarns comprise an intimate blend of at least about 51% by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers, less than about 49% by weight para-aramid fibers, and, less than about 2% by weight meta-aramid fibers. The polyphenylene sulfide, para-aramid, and meta-aramid fibers are staple fibers with an average staple fiber length of between about 20 and 100 mm.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to textile materials containing yarns that havean intimate blend of aramid fibers and polyphenylene sulfide fibers andgarments made from these textile materials.

BACKGROUND

Polyphenylene sulfide is a thermoplastic polymer that exhibits manydesirable properties. For example, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) exhibitsresistance to heat, various chemicals (e.g., acids, alkalis, andbleaches), mildew, aging, UV exposure (e.g., sunlight), and abrasion.Due to its thermoplastic nature and the desirable properties,polyphenylene sulfide polymer has been extruded into fibers suitable foruse in making textile materials. These polyphenylene sulfide fibers havebeen used in industrial textile materials, such as high temperaturefiltration media and automotive hose reinforcement, for many years.

There is a need for a textile material that contains both PPS fibers andaramid fibers to produce a fire resistant textile.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, the invention provides a woven textile having afirst and second side and comprising a plurality of yarns, wherein atleast a portion of the yarns comprise an intimate blend of at leastabout 51% by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers, less than about 49% byweight para-aramid fibers, and, less than about 2% by weight meta-aramidfibers. The polyphenylene sulfide, para-aramid, and meta-aramid fibersare staple fibers with an average staple fiber length of between about20 and 100 mm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, the invention provides a textile materialcomprising yarns, the yarns comprising a intimidate blend of a pluralityof aramid fibers and a plurality of polyphenylene sulfide fibers (PPSfibers). By “yarn” is meant an assemblage of fibers spun or twistedtogether to form a continuous strand, which can be used in weaving,knitting, braiding, or plaiting, or otherwise made into a textilematerial or fabric. The textile material of this first embodiment cantake any suitable form. For example, the plurality of polyphenylenesulfide fibers and aramid fibers can be consolidated to provide a yarn.In such an embodiment, the yarn can contain other fibers in addition tothe polyphenylene sulfide fibers and aramid fibers, as is described infurther detail below. In another embodiment, the plurality of aramidfibers and polyphenylene sulfide fibers can be consolidated into anonwoven textile material.

The textile material can also be a woven textile material comprising aplurality of interlaced yarns, at least one of which contains the aramidfibers and polyphenylene sulfide fibers. Preferably, the textilematerial is a woven textile. Preferably the woven textile is in a plainweave construction. Preferably, the plain weave has a warp direction anda weft direction and between 30 and 70 ends and picks per inch in boththe warp and weft directions.

The textile material can also be a knit textile material comprising oneor more interlooped yarns, at least one of which contains the aramidfibers and polyphenylene sulfide fibers. Preferably, the weight range ofthe textile material is between about 2.5 and 20 oz/yd², more preferablybetween about 4 and 12 oz/yd².

The polyphenylene sulfide fibers can comprise any suitable polyphenylenesulfide polymer. The polyphenylene sulfide polymer can have any suitablemolar mass. Preferably, the polyphenylene sulfide polymer has a massaverage molar mass of about 20,000 g/mol or more. More preferably, thepolyphenylene sulfide polymer has a mass average molar mass of about30,000 g/mol or more, about 40,000 g/mol or more, or about 50,000 g/molor more. Preferably, the polyphenylene sulfide polymer has a massaverage molar mass of about 100,000 g/mol or less. More preferably, thepolyphenylene sulfide polymer has a mass average molar mass of about80,000 g/mol or less, about 70,000 g/mol or less, or about 60,000 g/molor less. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the polyphenylenesulfide polymer has a mass average molar mass of about 40,000 g/mol toabout 60,000 g/mol. The polyphenylene sulfide polymer can have anysuitable melt viscosity. Preferably, the polyphenylene sulfide polymerhas a melt viscosity of about 1,000 poise or more when measured at 300°C. and an apparent shear rate of 400 s⁻¹ in accordance with ASTM TestMethod 3835. More preferably, the polyphenylene sulfide polymer has amelt viscosity of about 1,000 poise to about 3,000 poise or about 1,000poise to about 2,200 poise when measured as described above.

The polyphenylene sulfide polymer can exhibit any suitable degree ofcrystallinity. Preferably, the percent crystallinity of thepolyphenylene sulfide polymer is 10% or more. More preferably, thepercent crystallinity of the polyphenylene sulfide polymer is about 20%or more, about 25% or more, or about 30% or more. The percentcrystallinity of the polyphenylene sulfide polymer preferably is about80% or less. More preferably, the percent crystallinity of thepolyphenylene sulfide polymer is about 75% or less. Thus, in a series ofpreferred embodiments, the percent crystallinity of the polyphenylenesulfide polymer is from 10% to about 80%, about 20% to about 80%, orabout 30% to about 75%.

The yarns contain aramid fibers, preferably para-aramid fibers. The mostwell-known para-aramid fibers are available as KEVLAR® available fromDuPont. Other suitable commercial products of para-aramid fiber includeTWARON™ and TECHNORA™ by Teijin Aramid B.V. Para-aramid have been shownto have good flame characteristics and produce textile materials havingdesired strength and fire resistance properties.

The yarns preferably comprise a blend of a plurality of aramid fibersand a plurality of polyphenylene sulfide fibers. In one embodiment, thetextile material comprises at least about 50% by weight yarns thatcontain a plurality of aramid fibers and polyphenylene sulfide fibers,more preferably at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about90%, and at least about 95% by weight. The polyphenylene sulfide andaramid fibers may have any suitable denier, preferably between 1 and 8denier, more preferably between about 1 and 3 denier.

As used herein, “aramid” is meant a polyamide wherein at least 85% ofthe amide (—CONH—) linkages are attached directly to two aromatic rings.Additives can be used with the aramid and, in fact, it has been foundthat up to as much as 10 percent, by weight, of other polymeric materialcan be blended with the aramid or that copolymers can be used having asmuch as 10 percent of other diamine substituted for the diamine of thearamid or as much as 10 percent of other diacid chloride substituted forthe diacid chloride of the aramid. Suitable aramid fibers are describedin Man-Made Fibers—Science and Technology, Volume 2, Section titledFiber-Forming Aromatic Polyamides, page 297, W. Black et al.,Interscience Publishers, 1968. Aramid fibers are, also, disclosed inU.S. Pat. Nos. 4,172,938; 3,869,429; 3,819,587; 3,673,143; 3,354,127;and 3,094,511. M-aramid are those aramids where the amide linkages arein the meta-position relative to each other, and p-aramids are thosearamids where the amide linkages are in the para-position relative toeach other. In the practice of this invention the aramids most oftenused are poly(paraphenylene terephthalamide) and poly(metaphenyleneisophthalamide).

The intimately blended yarns making up the textile material and thetextile material itself can contain any suitable amounts of PPS fibersand para-aramid fibers. Preferably, the plurality of intimately blendedyarns and/or the textile material comprise at least about 51% by weightpolyphenylene sulfide fibers. In another embodiment, the plurality ofintimately blended yarns comprises at least about 55%, at least about60% or at least about 70% by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers. Inanother embodiment, the plurality of intimately blended yarns and/or thetextile material comprises between about 20 and 90% by weightpolyphenylene sulfide fibers, more preferably between about 60 and 80%weight.

In another embodiment, the plurality of intimately blended yarns and/orthe textile material comprise between about 5 and 70% by weightpara-aramid fibers, more preferably between about 10 and 40% weight. Inanother embodiment, the plurality of intimately blended yarns and/or thetextile material contain less than about 49% by weight, more preferablyless than about 40%, less than about 35%, or less than about 30% byweight para-aramid fibers.

In one preferred embodiment, the intimately blended yarns and/or thetextile material comprise an intimate blend of between about 60 and 85%by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers and between about 15 and 40% byweight para-aramid fibers.

The most well-known meta-aramid fibers are available as NOMEX® availablefrom DuPont. NOMEX® and related aramid polymers are related to nylon,but have aromatic backbones, and hence are more rigid and more durable.NOMEX® is produced by condensation reaction from the monomersm-phenylenediamine and isophthaloyl chloride. Preferably, the intimatelyblended yarns contain less than 2% wt meta-aramid. In anotherembodiment, the intimately blended yarns contain less than 1% wtmeta-aramid fibers, more preferably less than 0.5% wt, more preferablyless than 0.1% wt meta-aramid fibers. In one embodiment, the intimateblended yarns contain essentially no meta-aramid fibers, defined in thisapplication to be less than 0.05% wt meta-aramid fibers. In anotherembodiment, the textile material (as a while) contains less than 2% wtmeta-aramid fibers. In another embodiment, the textile material containsless than 1% wt meta-aramid, more preferably less than 0.5% wt, morepreferably less than 0.1% wt meta-aramid. In one embodiment, the textilematerial contains essentially no meta-aramid fibers, defined in thisapplication to be less than 0.05% wt meta-aramid fibers.

Staple fibers for use in spinning yarns are generally of a particularlength and of a particular linear density. For use in this invention,the fibers can have any length which is adequate for manufacture of spunyarns. Staple lengths of 20 to 100 millimeters can be used and lengthsof but lengths of between about 10 and 200 millimeters could be used. Inanother embodiment, the fibers making up the yarns have a staple cutlength of between about 30 and 60 mm, more preferably between about 38and 52 mm. The yarn formed from the fibers may be any type of yarnformed by any suitable process. For example, the yarn can be made be ajet spun, open end spun, ring spun, vortex spun yarn, it can be Z typetwist or S type twist; can be single ply, 2 ply, 3 ply, etc. Preferably,the yarns are formed by the process of ring spinning. Yarn sizepreferably ranges from 40 count to 5 count (cotton yarn count system).

As utilized herein, the term “inherent flame resistant fibers” refers tosynthetic fibers which, due to the chemical composition of the materialfrom which they are made, exhibit flame resistance without the need foran additional flame retardant treatment. In one embodiment, the yarnscan contain additional inherent flame resistant fibers. In suchembodiments, the inherent flame resistant fibers can be any suitableinherent flame resistant fibers, such as polyoxadiazole fibers,polysulfonamide fibers, poly(benzimidazole) fibers, aramid fibers (e.g.,para-aramid fibers), polypyridobisimidazole fibers, polybenzylthiazolefibers, polybenzyloxazole fibers, melamine-formaldehyde polymer fibers,phenol-formaldehyde polymer fibers, oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibers,polyamide-imide fibers and combinations, mixtures, or blends thereof. Ina preferred embodiment, the textile material comprises aramid fibers inaddition to the polyphenylene sulfide fibers. Other fibers canadditionally be included into the textile material concludingpolyamidimid fibers, phenol-formaldehyde fibers, melamine fibers, glassfibers, metal fibers, elastomeric fibers/yarns, and carbon fibers. Insome embodiments, the elastomeric yarn is a spandex yarn. While in someembodiments the preferred elastomeric fiber yarn is a spandex fiberyarn, any fiber generally having stretch and recovery can be used. Asused herein, “spandex” has its usual definition, that is, a manufacturedfiber in which the fiber-forming substance is a long chain syntheticpolymer composed of at least 85% by weight of a segmented polyurethane.The textile material may also, in some embodiments, comprise a core spunyarn which is a mono or multifilament core covered with a fibercovering.

The textile materials described above are believed to be well-suited foruse in applications where the textile material must meet certainrequirements for flame resistance. For example, the textile material canbe a fabric used in the manufacture of curtains or window treatments,which fabric should meet the most stringent requirements of NFPA 701.The textile material can also be used in the manufacture of upholsteryand furniture fabrics, automotive fabrics (e.g., woven, knit, ornonwoven textiles used in automotive applications), aircraft interiors,etc. In one embodiment, the textile materials are formed into garmentssuch as pants, shirts, jackets, shoes, attachments onto jackets, belts,hats, and raincoats. According to one embodiment, the garment comprisesa structure comprising an internal layer, optionally an intermediatelayer made of a breathing waterproof material, and an outer layer madeof the above-described fabric of the invention. In another embodiment, awater and/or vapor resistant layer may be adhered to the textilematerial.

The textile material described above can contain other fibers inaddition to the polyphenylene sulfide, aramid fibers, and optionaladditional inherent flame resistant fibers discussed above. In suchembodiments, the textile material can further comprise any suitablenatural fiber or synthetic fiber or combination of natural fibers and/orsynthetic fibers. These additional fibers can be intimately blended withthe polyphenylene sulfide and aramid fibers within the textile material.For example, the textile material can be a yarn in which thepolyphenylene sulfide and aramid fibers are intimately blended with, forexample, cellulosic fibers. Alternatively, the additional fibers and thepolyphenylene sulfide and aramid fibers can be present in separateelements within the textile material. For example, the textile materialcan comprise a first yarn containing the polyphenylene sulfide andaramid fibers and a second yarn containing, for example, cellulosicfibers.

As noted above, the textile material can comprise any suitable naturalor synthetic fiber(s) in addition to the polyphenylene sulfide, aramidfibers, and optional additional inherent flame resistant fibersdiscussed above. In a preferred embodiment, the textile material furthercomprises cellulose fibers. The cellulose fibers used in such anembodiment can be natural cellulose fibers (e.g., cotton fibers),regenerated cellulose fibers, or any combination thereof. Suitableregenerated cellulose fibers include, but are not limited to, rayonfibers (e.g., viscose rayon fibers, high wet modulus rayon fibers, modalfibers, and polynosic fibers), lyocell fibers, and mixtures thereof.

When the textile material comprises cellulose fibers, the textilematerial can further comprise a flame retardant that is added to improvethe flame resistance of the cellulose fibers and the textile materialcontaining the same. In such embodiments, any suitable flame retardantcan be used. Preferably, the flame retardant is a phosphorus-based flameretardant, such as the flame retardants based ontetrahydroxymethlphosphonium salts and condensates thereof. Suitableexamples of such flame retardants include, but are not limited to, thoseflame retardants described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,713,891; 8,012,890;8,012,891; 8,722,551; 9,091,020; 9,453,112; and U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. US 2015/0118931 A1, each of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

The textile material can also comprise synthetic fibers in addition tothe polyphenylene sulfide, aramid fibers, and optional additionalinherent flame resistant fibers, such as thermoplastic synthetic fibers.Suitable thermoplastic synthetic fibers include, but are not necessarilylimited to, polyester fibers (e.g., poly (ethylene terephthalate)fibers, poly (propylene terephthalate) fibers, poly (trimethyleneterephthalate) fibers), poly (butylene terephthalate) fibers, and blendsthereof), polyamide fibers (e.g., nylon 6 fibers, nylon 6,6 fibers,nylon 4,6 fibers, and nylon 12 fibers), polyvinyl alcohol fibers, andcombinations, mixtures, or blends thereof. Preferably, the thermoplasticsynthetic fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyesterfibers, polypropylene fibers, and mixtures thereof. In anotherembodiment, the intimately blended yarns (or other yarns within thetextile material) may contain antistatic fibers.

When the textile material comprises thermoplastic synthetic fibers, thetextile material can further comprise a flame retardant that is added toimprove the flame resistance of the thermoplastic synthetic fibers andthe textile material containing the same. Any flame retardant suitablefor use with thermoplastic synthetic fibers can be used in suchembodiments.

In a preferred embodiment, the polyphenylene sulfide fibers and thearamid fibers are intimately blended together and formed into yarns.Intimately blended means that the two types of fibers are not formedinto separate yarns and then twisted together, but that the yarncontains both polyphenylene sulfide fibers and the aramid fibersentangled with each other. Preferably, the yarns are formed by theprocess of spinning, wherein the process of spinning is selected fromthe group consisting of open-end, ring, jet, vortex, rotor-spun, andSiro-spun spinning. Most preferred are the open-end spinning and ringspinning processes. In ring spinning, the ring yarn has consistent fiberorientation. Most of the fibers look to be oriented to the same angle,so most of the fibers help contribute to the yarn strength. Open endspinning is an alternative to ring spinning. Unlike the fiberorientation seen in ring spun yarns, the fiber orientation in an openend yarn tends to be more random and inconsistent.

In one embodiment, the polyphenylene sulfide fibers of the textilematerial are dyed and comprise at least one dye. The dye can be anysuitable dye, but disperse dyes are particularly preferred. Preferably,the dye is a disperse dye selected from the group consisting of dispersedyes having a molar mass of about 350 g/mol or more, disperse dyescomprising a nitro group, and mixtures thereof. In another preferredembodiment, the dye is a disperse dye selected from the group consistingof disperse dyes having a molar mass of about 400 g/mol or more,disperse dyes comprising a nitro group, and mixtures thereof. While notwishing to be bound to any particular mechanism or theory, it has beenobserved that disperse dyes having a higher molar mass (e.g., about 350g/mol or more or about 400 g/mol or more) and/or a polar nature (such asdisperse dyes containing a nitro group) are capable of satisfactorilydyeing the polyphenylene sulfide fibers, whereas disperse dyes that donot possess either of these characteristics are not. For example, it hasbeen observed that dyes that do not possess either of thesecharacteristics do not become sufficiently fixed in the polyphenylenesulfide fiber. With the exception of nitrodiphenylamine disperse dyes,the disperse dye preferably has a boiling point of 590° C. or more, morepreferably about 600° C. or more. With the exception ofnitrodiphenylamine disperse dyes, the disperse dye preferably has aflash point of 300° C. or more, more preferably about 310° C. or more.In a particular embodiment, the disperse dye has a boiling point of 590°C. or more (e.g., about 600° C. or more) and a flash point of 300° C. ormore (e.g., about 310° C. or more).

The disperse dye can be any suitable disperse dye that possesses one ormore of the characteristics described above. In a more specificpreferred embodiment, the disperse dye is selected from the groupconsisting of azo dyes (e.g., azothiophene dyes, azobenzothiazole dyes),diazo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, nitro dyes (e.g., nitrodiphenylaminedyes), quinoline dyes, dibenzofuran dyes, naphthalimide dyes (e.g.,aminoketone dyes), and mixtures thereof. Any of the above-mentioned dyescan be used in combination to produce polyphenylene sulfide fibers andtextile materials exhibiting the desired color and shade. Moreinformation about dyed PPS fibers can be found in US Patent ApplicationPublication 2019/0338462 which is herein incorporated by reference.

In one embodiment, further elements can be added to the textile materialsuch as coatings, films, and the like. The textile material has a firstand a second side. In one embodiment, at least one of the first andsecond sides of the textile material have a coating applied thereon.This coating can remain on the surface or the textile material or cansoak into the textile and coat the majority of the surfaces of the yarnsin the textile. The coating may be any suitable coating such as anadhesive layer, colored layer, or primer layer. In another embodiment,at least one of the first and second sides of the textile material havea film applied thereon. Any suitable method may be used to adhere thefilm to the textile material including, but not limited to, a separateadhesive layer, an adhesive material in the film, or by incorporatingsome low-melt fibers into the textile. The film may give additionalcharacteristics or properties to the textile material. In oneembodiment, the coating and/or film may further include a flameretardant. The fabric having such coating and/or film thus exhibitsflame resistance in accordance with ASTM D6413 test method with lessthan 2 second afterflame time and less than 4 inches char length.

In one embodiment, the textile material (and garments made from thetextile material) has unusually low laundry shrinkage defined to meanthat there is less than about 3% shrinkage according to the AATCC 135test method after 5 repeated laundry cycles using 140° F. hot water forwashing cycle. More preferably, the textile material (and garments madefrom the textile material) have less than about 2% laundry shrinkageaccording to the same AATCC 135 5 washes test.

In another embodiment, the textile material has less than about 10%shrinkage after exposed to 2 cal/cm²/sec flame energy for 4 seconds.More preferably, the textile material exhibits less than 5% or less than3% shrinkage. Source of the flame energy at 2 cal/cm²/sec is availableon the standard test equipment described in ASTM F2700 test method.

The following examples further illustrate the subject matter describedabove but, of course, should not be construed as in any way limiting thescope thereof.

Example 1

Intimate fiber blended yarns were made from a blend of 60% wtmeta-aramid and 40% wt para-aramid into 2 ply of 40 count yarns usingjet spinning process. The yarns are subsequently autoclaved to thermallyset the mechanical dimension for lower laundry shrinkage. The resultantyarns were used as both the warp and weft yarns in a woven fabric with54 ends and 54 picks per inch in a plain weave construction. The fabricwas scoured and heat set in a convection oven at a temperature between350 F and 400 F. The woven textile exhibited laundry shrinkage of about3-4% according to AATCC 135 test method after 5 repeated laundry cyclesusing 140 F hot water for washing cycle.

Example 2

Intimate fiber blended yarns were made from a blend of 25% para-aramidfiber (Kevlar, 51 mm staple) and 75% PPS fiber (2 denier×51 mm staple)into 20 count single ply yarns using ring spinning. The resultant yarnswere used as both the warp and weft yarns in a woven fabric with 54 endsand 54 picks per inch in a plain weave construction. No autoclaveprocess was used to set the yarns. The resulting fabric was scoured andheat set in a convection oven at a temperature between 350° F. and 400°F. The resulting fabric exhibited about 0% shrinkage after exposed to 2cal/cm²/sec flame energy (from an ASTM F2700 standard test equipment)for 4 seconds.

Example 3

Intimate fiber blended yarns were made from a blend of 50% para-aramidfiber (Kevlar, 51 mm staple) and 50% PPS fiber (2 denier×51 mm staple)into 20 count single ply yarns using ring spinning. The resultant yarnswere used as both the warp and weft yarns in a woven fabric with 54 endsand 54 picks per inch in a plain weave construction. No autoclaveprocess was used to set the yarns. The resulting fabric was scoured andheat set in a convection oven at a temperature between 350° F. and 400°F. The resulting fabric exhibited about 0% shrinkage after exposed to 2cal/cm²/sec flame energy (from an ASTM F2700 standard test equipment)for 4 seconds.

The following table summaries the test results on the textile materialsof examples 1-3:

Test Method Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Weight (oz./sq. yd) ASTM 0-3776 ~4.0 ~4.0~4.0 Warp Grab Tensile (lb) ASTM 0-5034 ~110 112 82 Fill Grab Tensile(lb) ASTM 0-5034 ~130 114 78 Warp Elmandorf Tear (lb) ASTM 0-1424 6 5.94.5 Fill Elmandorf Tear (lb) ASTM 0-1424 6 5.3 4.2 Warp Shrinkage AATCC135 ~3 1.4 — after laundry (%)* Fill Shrinkage after AATCC 135 ~2 0 —laundry (%)* Warp Char Length AR (in) ASTM 0-6413 1.6-2.2 1.8 2.6 FillChar Length AR (in) ASTM 0-6413 1.2-2.2 1.7 2.4 Afterflame (sec) ASTM0-6413 0 0 0 *AATCC 135 test method after 5 repeated laundry cyclesusing 140° F. hot water for washing cycle.

Example 4

A woven fabric made of a warp and a filling yarning yarns. Each of thewarp and filling yarn are made using an intimate blend of 93%meta-aramid, 5% para-aramid and 2% Nylon antistatic fibers, in a jetspinning process. The resulting fabric is then heat set in a convectionoven at a temperature of about 400° F. The fabric exhibited about 6-14%shrinkage after exposed to 2 cal/cm²/sec flame energy (from an ASTMF2700 standard test equipment) for 4 seconds.

As shown in the table above, the of the examples had good flameresistance properties including short char length and zero secondafterflame. Example 2 has very small laundry shrinkage compared to theother examples. All of these examples could be further coated orlaminated to form finished different flame resistant articles.

All references, including publications, patent applications, andpatents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the sameextent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicatedto be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entiretyherein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the subject matter of this application (especiallyin the context of the following claims) are to be construed to coverboth the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein orclearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,”“including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms(i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted.Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as ashorthand method of referring individually to each separate valuefalling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and eachseparate value is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. All methods described herein can beperformed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and allexamples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, isintended merely to better illuminate the subject matter of theapplication and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the subjectmatter unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification shouldbe construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to thepractice of the subject matter described herein.

Preferred embodiments of the subject matter of this application aredescribed herein, including the best mode known to the inventors forcarrying out the claimed subject matter. Variations of those preferredembodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artupon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilledartisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventorsintend for the subject matter described herein to be practiced otherwisethan as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this disclosureincludes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recitedin the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover,any combination of the above-described elements in all possiblevariations thereof is encompassed by the present disclosure unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A woven textile having a first and second side and comprising a plurality of yarns, wherein at least a portion of the yarns comprise an intimate blend of: at least about 51% by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers; less than about 49% by weight para-aramid fibers; and, less than about 2% by weight meta-aramid fibers, wherein the polyphenylene sulfide, para-aramid, and meta-aramid fibers are staple fibers and wherein the staple fibers have an average staple fiber length of between about 20 and 100 mm.
 2. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the woven textile is a plain weave.
 3. The woven textile of claim 2, wherein the plain weave has a warp direction and a weft direction and wherein the plain weave has between 30 and 70 ends per inch in both the warp and weft directions.
 4. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the polyphenylene sulfide fibers are dyed.
 5. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the yarns comprise an intimate blend of between about 60 and 85% by weight polyphenylene sulfide fibers and between about 15 and 40% by weight para-aramid fibers.
 6. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the yarns comprise less than about 1% by weight meta-aramid fibers.
 7. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the yarns are formed by the process of ring spinning.
 8. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sides comprises a coating.
 9. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sides comprises a film.
 10. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second sides comprises an adhesive.
 11. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein yarns further comprise antistatic fibers.
 12. The woven textile of claim 1, wherein the woven textile has a wash shrinkage of less than about 3% tested according to the AATCC 135 5 washes cycles procedure.
 13. A garment comprising the textile material of claim
 1. 